IHTM02173 - Communications: Taxpayers with disabilities/special needs: services to customers who are deaf or hearing impaired

There are many different technical aids that deaf people can use. Remember each individual has their specific needs, so you need to match the right equipment with the individual’s needs.

If you are asked for assistance because an individual is hard of hearing, you must do what you can to provide it. You should contact the Product and Process Team (PPT) in the first instance for help and advice on what we can provide.

Typetalk

This is the National Telephone Relay Service for deaf people run by the RNID in Liverpool and funded by BT. It allows deaf; deafblind; and speech impaired people to communicate with hearing people.

If a deaf person wishes to call a hearing person, they dial the freephone Typetalk number and tell the operator the name and number of the person they wish to contact. The Typetalk operator dials the number and makes the connection. The deaf person can either speak their end of the conversation direct to the other person, or they can type it out and the operator will speak it for them. The hearing person’s reply is typed out by the operator and appears on the screen of the deaf person’s telephone.

A hearing person who wishes to call a deaf person may also use the system. All the calls made are strictly confidential and no record is ever made of the content.